Grilling foods on a barbecue has long been a favorite summertime activity and this has increased in popularity in more recent times because barbecuing has been viewed as a healthy, easy and flavorful method for cooking meats and vegetables. The use of lighter fluid to facilitate the charcoal ignition is a long accepted method. Lighter fluid is typically spread over a bed of charcoal and allowed to soak into the charcoal. After a few minutes, the charcoal bed is ignited and the lighter fluid is allowed to combust and burn away to leave a bed of hot coals suitable for cooking.
While the use of lighter fluid greatly enhances the preparation of coals for cooking food, there are multiple drawbacks to using the lighter fluid. These include a residual hydrocarbon odor imparted on the food cooked using lighter fluid, a safety risk associated with fire due to the low flashpoint in lighter fluid compositions and also the emission of volatile organic compounds or “VOCs” during combustion of lighter fluid.
Currently, “green” technology that refers to use of renewable resources or environmentally friendly technology is preferred over the use of non-renewable resources. Thus, minimizing the use of non-renewable resources in everyday life is a desirable goal. Many lighter fluids are known and typically include a flammable hydrocarbon mixture. The hydrocarbon mixtures that have been used in lighter fluids are generally derived from fossil fuels. These lighter fluids are from non-renewable energy sources and do not qualify as a “green” product.